[IrenaShav]

I was an exceptionally intelligent kid, I loved to read all kind of books, had straight A's in school up until I was about 17 and I hardly ever studied. Then I somehow lost my ability to concentrate, as if my IQ suddenly dropped from significantly above average to average level. I couldn't focus no matter what subject, and I had to study 10 times harder than before, so I barely managed to finish high school with average grades and I barely made it through college with average grades and a couple of failed semesters. I even couldn't concentrate on reading books anymore.

This "loss of intelligence" lasted 9 years up until a few weeks ago (I'm 26 now) and then my brains somehow got back. Now I can easily learn and concentrate on anything from science to computer programming, and I started reading a lot again. I'm able to learn so quickly and comprehend complex and abstract concepts so deeply that everyone around me seems kinda slow in comparison, and I started to remember I was like that when I was a kid, before the "loss" had occurred.

Now I'm trying to understand what was happening in my brain for all those years. It's like a part of it was somehow blocked. ADHD maybe? Any opinions or similar experiences?

[sentientbeing]

Not ADHD. It was probably caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I had something similar from 16-20, finding the right psych meds fixed it. Were you depressed at all during this time?

[Distance]

Fe manifestation? Were you distracted/overwhelmed by external social stimuli?

[IrenaShav]

	Originally Posted by sentientbeing To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Not ADHD. It was probably caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I had something similar from 16-20, finding the right psych meds fixed it. Were you depressed at all during this time?

Yeah, I was depressed most of the time and I had mood swings all the time. I didn't take any meds.

[ppu6502]

Did you change environments, diet, exercise regiment, or any other major life changes recently?

[IrenaShav]

	Originally Posted by Distance To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Fe manifestation? Were you distracted/overwhelmed by external social stimuli?

I'm not sure what you mean by external social stimuli. If you mean having people around me in general, I mostly didn't mind that. But I couldn't stand loud noises or crowded places.

---------- Post added 03-30-2012 at 08:43 PM ----------

	Originally Posted by ppu6502 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Did you change environments, diet, exercise regiment, or any other major life changes recently?

Not really. I was sick with a sinus infection for almost a month (the longest period I was ever sick) and I had a serious lack of sleep during that period and felt completely exhausted. Some days I couldn't even eat properly. When I started to recover and compensate the previous lack of sleep, I noticed that my brain seems to work in a way it couldn't for years before and it seems to be getting sharper every day.
I'm not sure if this sudden awakening of brain activity is somehow related to prolonged sickness and/or lack of sleep.

[Magda]

I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apena 2 years ago, and once I got my CPAP it was like night and day. Not only was I less depressed and finding it much easier to get up in the mornings and get to work on time, but I felt sharper mentally than I had in months, if not years.

[Distance]

	Originally Posted by IrenaShav To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I'm not sure what you mean by external social stimuli. If you mean having people around me in general, I mostly didn't mind that. But I couldn't stand loud noises or crowded places.

Are you aware of the study that surrounded how they defined introverts and extroverts through testing? It's theorised that introverts are more sensitive to external stimuli due to how their differing routing and clustering of dopamine receptors react to such. What they did was to put a drop of lemon juice on tongues where the introverts salivated far more than the extroverts.

[sentientbeing]

	Originally Posted by IrenaShav To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Yeah, I was depressed most of the time and I had mood swings all the time. I didn't take any meds.

That is it! INFJs and other Fe dom/auxs do not report the "emo sadness" so characteristic of Depression but are more aware of the cognitive/physical effects. I was the same way, people would tell me I looked depressed but felt neutral on the inside. Getting the right medications/supplements restored my intelligence. (IQ of 117 to ~130)

Medications (atypical antipsychotics, mood stabilizers) actually slow down brain tissue deterioration associated with bipolar/schizophrenia and some supplements might actually increase neural regeneration.

Please take the right medications if you are having severe mood swings. I can only imagine how much better off I would be if I had started treatment at around 15 instead of 18.

[Haumea]

Maybe you had some kind of lingering brain infection that eventually cleared (some kind of virus, parasite, ???) It's unlikely but has been known to happen in rare cases.

[TheStranger]

I believe there was a neurotoxicity theory concerning Bipolar/Schizophrenia being thrown around by some mental health professionals, of course what would cause the alleviation of that aside from psychiatric medications or a drastic change in nutrition, I'm not altogether certain.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an interesting one, one of the theories for that was a residual virus presence gone undetected and untreated.

As for myself, I had no issues with the academic sphere up until high school, then I became profoundly depressed and adamantly refused to do any homework, or take tests. I had no motivation, and whatever reasoning skills I did have were slipping away. One professional estimated me at a high range, but also claimed I was pretty severely mentally ill. I should have tackled any prominent mental status change quickly, I didn't and it seems to have gotten worse over the years. I'm thinking of visiting a shrink again. It may be too late for me, and the impairments seem to be drastic. I'd advise the quickest remediation, for long-term cognitive benefit.

[JGordon]

Originally Posted by IrenaShav To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I was an exceptionally intelligent kid, I loved to read all kind of books, had straight A's in school up until I was about 17 and I hardly ever studied. Then I somehow lost my ability to concentrate, as if my IQ suddenly dropped from significantly above average to average level. I couldn't focus no matter what subject, and I had to study 10 times harder than before, so I barely managed to finish high school with average grades and I barely made it through college with average grades and a couple of failed semesters. I even couldn't concentrate on reading books anymore. This "loss of intelligence" lasted 9 years up until a few weeks ago (I'm 26 now) and then my brains somehow got back. Now I can easily learn and concentrate on anything from science to computer programming, and I started reading a lot again. I'm able to learn so quickly and comprehend complex and abstract concepts so deeply that everyone around me seems kinda slow in comparison, and I started to remember I was like that when I was a kid, before the "loss" had occurred. Now I'm trying to understand what was happening in my brain for all those years. It's like a part of it was somehow blocked. ADHD maybe? Any opinions or similar experiences?

Does this mean you're going to have to switch your MBTI from INFJ to INTJ?

Anyway, assuming you value intelligence, you should carefully analyze any and all lifestyle differences between then and now. Food, exercise, or whatever, there may be a factor influencing you intelligence that you have direct control over. Sort of reminds me of this story I read once. What was it, Flowers for Algernon? Something like that.

[sentientbeing]

Originally Posted by TheStranger To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

As for myself, I had no issues with the academic sphere up until high school, then I became profoundly depressed and adamantly refused to do any homework, or take tests. I had no motivation, and whatever reasoning skills I did have were slipping away. One professional estimated me at a high range, but also claimed I was pretty severely mentally ill. I should have tackled any prominent mental status change quickly, I didn't and it seems to have gotten worse over the years. I'm thinking of visiting a shrink again. It may be too late for me, and the impairments seem to be drastic. I'd advise the quickest remediation, for long-term cognitive benefit.

I doubt depression causes permanent loss of fluid intelligence. The lack of motivation/apathy you describe strikes me as a low-dopamine/acetylcholine problem. You may be better off going to a psychiatrist or getting a neuro-psych test first.

Have you tried supplements? Mucuna Pruriens (Natural L-DOPA) and DMAE drastically improved my cognition when I was depressed.

[TheStranger]

Ah, I just remembered that there are certain neuropsychological tests that examine pre-morbid intelligence, supposedly by targeting cognitive abilities that are less prone to damage. Perhaps I should look into that more.

As for the depression thing, my post was vaguely worded. I believe my depression to be abnormal, in that it might actually be psychotic depression, or stemming from a mental illness which causes depression due to lack of non-impaired problem-solving skills (schizophrenia, whatever).

I've done a neuro-psych test; discrepant results, but overall normal. Concerning supplements, the only one that seemingly improved cognition and overall physical health was Vitamin B12, stopped taking it for some reason.

On low dopamine, I was diagnosed as having a severe dopamine shortage, but I've been debating that recently, as looking back on the ADHD meds I've taken, they've come with marginal cognitive gains but irritating side-effects. Concerta was the mildest, but I also had the weakest improvements. I don't know, I could simply have poor tolerance for medications.

Finally, I've also considered I may have a hidden physical ailment, such as thyroid issues, which can cause psychosis.

[sentientbeing]

Originally Posted by TheStranger To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

On low dopamine, I was diagnosed as having a severe dopamine shortage, but I've been debating that recently, as looking back on the ADHD meds I've taken, they've come with marginal cognitive gains but irritating side-effects. Concerta was the mildest, but I also had the weakest improvements. I don't know, I could simply have poor tolerance for medications. Finally, I've also considered I may have a hidden physical ailment, such as thyroid issues, which can cause psychosis.

How did you test your dopamine levels? Low plasma levels of dopamine do not necessarily indicate a dopamine deficiency in the brain.

If you are psychosis-prone, do not take dopaminergic drugs. I took a dopamine booster and it threw me into a psychosis that lasted 3-7 months, depending on how you classify the symptoms.

Try Provigil, there is a non-regulated pre-metabolite Modafinil that you can legally buy online.

[IrenaShav]

	Originally Posted by JGordon To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Does this mean you're going to have to switch your MBTI from INFJ to INTJ?

This is a very interesting question. I actually noticed that since the positive change has happened, my mind works differently. I'm a lot more interested in science and computers and have no interest at all in people and their behavior (which I found fascinating before). I also like to spend most of the time alone and I'm happy that way. I seem to have become sort of the scientist type. I have this overwhelming desire to read and learn, and I'm able to instantly memorize things. Learning is fun for me now and earlier I used to find it very tiresome. Besides, I seem to have developed a fresh and sudden repulsion towards stupid people. I'm going to wait for some time and then I'm going to take the MBTI test again. Last time I did it, 2 months ago, I tested as INFJ.

	Originally Posted by JGordon To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Anyway, assuming you value intelligence, you should carefully analyze any and all lifestyle differences between then and now. Food, exercise, or whatever, there may be a factor influencing you intelligence that you have direct control over.

The only thing about my lifestyle that changed was a serious lack of sleep during a period of extreme exhaustion, and spending a lot of time alone. But I found the latter to be more an effect of the change than a cause.

---------- Post added 03-31-2012 at 07:57 AM ----------

	Originally Posted by Haumea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Maybe you had some kind of lingering brain infection that eventually cleared (some kind of virus, parasite, ???) It's unlikely but has been known to happen in rare cases.

That's definitely what House would say.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
It's a possibility.

---------- Post added 03-31-2012 at 08:15 AM ----------

	Originally Posted by sentientbeing To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Medications (atypical antipsychotics, mood stabilizers) actually slow down brain tissue deterioration associated with bipolar/schizophrenia and some supplements might actually increase neural regeneration. Please take the right medications if you are having severe mood swings. I can only imagine how much better off I would be if I had started treatment at around 15 instead of 18.

Thanks. For a long time I used to think that a part of my brain had deteriorated, but now I know it didn't, since it works perfectly again...it just wasn't accessible for awhile, for some reason. It's like it was surrounded by some kind of fog and then it was removed...like a veil was lifted.

[zibber]

I experienced something similar in (late) high school and (early) college. Just a case of getting caught up.

	Originally Posted by IrenaShav To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	It's like it was surrounded by some kind of fog and then it was removed...like a veil was lifted.

This is what I experience every time I have become socially exhausted and gain opportunity to recharge.

[TheStranger]

Originally Posted by sentientbeing To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

How did you test your dopamine levels? Low plasma levels of dopamine do not necessarily indicate a dopamine deficiency in the brain. If you are psychosis-prone, do not take dopaminergic drugs. I took a dopamine booster and it threw me into a psychosis that lasted 3-7 months, depending on how you classify the symptoms. Try Provigil, there is a non-regulated pre-metabolite Modafinil that you can legally buy online.

Doc just estimated dopamine levels based off conversation, could have been inaccurate. Oddly enough, when I persuaded the clinician to put me on a low dose of an atypical antipsychotic, someone commented "you're talking better, I can't explain it" and when I consulted with the doc again he just thought it was dampening my severe anxiety, which he commented bordered on psychosis. As for actually being psychotic, that was more my perspective than anything.

I'll look into Provigil.

	Originally Posted by IrenaShav To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Thanks. For a long time I used to think that a part of my brain had deteriorated, but now I know it didn't, since it works perfectly again...it just wasn't accessible for awhile, for some reason. It's like it was surrounded by some kind of fog and then it was removed...like a veil was lifted.

This was exactly what I experienced, the fog thing, except it never really went away. I've noticed marginal improvements, but that's all.

[DiscipleOfJesus]

I had the same kind of problem, lost of intelect, betwin my 15 and 23 years old.
It started when my grandfather died at age of 15. Then my father died at my 23's, and it started again until my 26's.

Now i feel smart again. I think i had become an ENFJ, worried about surrounding world and being very emotional.

[AlfredSchnittke]

I think I am in the throes of exactly the same thing.

As a child, up till I was probably 17-18 I read at least a book a day. I could metabolize anything. I could stay seated in the same spot, focused on something for 16 hours at a time.

Then I randomly lost my ability to focus. I can barely read a page of something without drifting off somehow. It's almost like my brain now HATES reading...it's ridiculous.

I have struggled with various health issues, including chronic migraines, diagnosis of depression/schizophrenia, chronic nausea, chronic tiredness...and lately it has been suggested that I may have sleep apnea, but I haven't had the tests done yet.

Exercising, and eating better have helped marginally; but I still seem unable to retain the ability to deeply focus, and solve problems like I used to...I find myself unable to accomplish any of the intellectual things I want to, but forever lost in a maze of intense thoughts nonetheless.

I feel as if I am living in a nightmare...

I am happy to hear that there may be some hope of coming out of this awful condition =/

[TheWanderer]

Is their a scientific or even anecdotal name for this condition?

[Scrotus]

What were you depressed about that seemed to accompany this loss of critical thinking?

I don't know you, so much of this can be wrong, therefore feedback is necessary. I'd say you lost your mental capabilities because you entered a state of depression. Your brain seems to be very capable of critical thinking, so I'm willing to bet money that during your depressive days, your brain dwelled on the seemingly unsolvable problem, and you felt drained, fatigued, unmotivated, irrational, but incapable of controlling said emotions.

If you examine your life a month before your re-awakening of critical thinking, then during, and then now, you'll find that some internal conflict was resolved or you made some big self discovery/realization. Be it you overcame an old fear, or you broke free from something that was bothering you heavily, or SOMETHING that was plaguing you and plaguing you heavily was over came or understood or bypassed or "let go of".

You now probably have that feeling of just being motivated and being happy and being compelled to just go live life and understand shit and get involved and to continue your self discovery/introspective analysis.

Once again, I don't know you or any more context, so feedback would be much appreciated. I dunno how much of this is even accurate given the limited data, soooo gurl u know wut to do! (give me feedback and more details lmao)

[CeazeT]

Originally Posted by IrenaShav To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I was an exceptionally intelligent kid, I loved to read all kind of books, had straight A's in school up until I was about 17 and I hardly ever studied. Then I somehow lost my ability to concentrate, as if my IQ suddenly dropped from significantly above average to average level. I couldn't focus no matter what subject, and I had to study 10 times harder than before, so I barely managed to finish high school with average grades and I barely made it through college with average grades and a couple of failed semesters. I even couldn't concentrate on reading books anymore. This "loss of intelligence" lasted 9 years up until a few weeks ago (I'm 26 now) and then my brains somehow got back. Now I can easily learn and concentrate on anything from science to computer programming, and I started reading a lot again. I'm able to learn so quickly and comprehend complex and abstract concepts so deeply that everyone around me seems kinda slow in comparison, and I started to remember I was like that when I was a kid, before the "loss" had occurred. Now I'm trying to understand what was happening in my brain for all those years. It's like a part of it was somehow blocked. ADHD maybe? Any opinions or similar experiences?

Maybe Depression?

Not being interested in what people wanted to teach you perhaps, because you didn't consider it an importance in the way you wanted to live...?

---------- Post added 04-26-2012 at 11:23 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Scrotus To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

What were you depressed about that seemed to accompany this loss of critical thinking? I don't know you, so much of this can be wrong, therefore feedback is necessary. I'd say you lost your mental capabilities because you entered a state of depression. Your brain seems to be very capable of critical thinking, so I'm willing to bet money that during your depressive days, your brain dwelled on the seemingly unsolvable problem, and you felt drained, fatigued, unmotivated, irrational, but incapable of controlling said emotions. If you examine your life a month before your re-awakening of critical thinking, then during, and then now, you'll find that some internal conflict was resolved or you made some big self discovery/realization. Be it you overcame an old fear, or you broke free from something that was bothering you heavily, or SOMETHING that was plaguing you and plaguing you heavily was over came or understood or bypassed or "let go of". You now probably have that feeling of just being motivated and being happy and being compelled to just go live life and understand shit and get involved and to continue your self discovery/introspective analysis. Once again, I don't know you or any more context, so feedback would be much appreciated. I dunno how much of this is even accurate given the limited data, soooo gurl u know wut to do! (give me feedback and more details lmao)

Nice analysis! lol I thought the same thing when i read it....I went through a similar process, though maybe only for 3 years...

[stealthfighter]

My IQ declined by many points from 8 years ago. Ironically, I'm 26 - the age when one's IQ is supposedly at its peak.

[Booko]

	Originally Posted by TheWanderer To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Is their a scientific or even anecdotal name for this condition?

Brain fog is the most common term for it.

Brain fog and depression are both symptoms that can occur as a result of quite a few underlying medical conditions, and it does appear the underlying conditions cause imbalances in brain chemistry -- thus the symptoms.

OP I am curious -- did you have an illness, something viral, before the onset of the brain fog? Many cases of chronic fatigue syndrome begin that way, and brain fog and depression are both hallmarks of that condition. And some forms of CFS seem to clear up on their own from about 5-10 years after onset. Were you really fatigued as well as foggy brained?

Still, there are many illnesses that can mess up brain chemistry. And some non-illnesses, for that matter.

Brain fog seems to go hand in hand with conditions like fibromyalgia and CFS and Lyme disease (and others), but also can result from intolerances to certain chemicals found in foods or food allergies, and even having been poisoned by some external source, like pesticides or toxic metals or a host of other things. Hormonal imbalances can also cause brain fog.

Who knows what triggered your brain fog, but apparently you were able to detox from it and come out the other side.

Or you inadvertently removed something from your diet or environment that was triggering a reaction.

Oh, another thing worth asking about is the Herxheimer reaction. Did you have any spells like that? They're pretty common with getting over these sorts of conditions too, though not everyone has them.

I had severe brain fog for some years with the CFS, and it turns out in my case it was tied to a long list of intolerances to most foods, high aluminum and mercury levels, growing up a mile from a Superfund site, being poisoned with PBBs when I was young.

The oddest thing about the brain fog was when the allergy doc discovered I was intolerant to omega 3 fatty acids. That's a precursor to many important brain chemicals. The day I got treated for the omega 3 fatty acid (and fish) intolerance was bizarre. It was like someone woke me up from a long mental slumber.

Anyway, sorry for the core dump, but the bottom line is there are many possible causes for what you went through.

It's worth looking at whether any of them involved food and environment so you don't fall back into that condition, but at least you're out the other side now.

And I hate to say this but M.D.s don't know shit about this topic (yet). Maybe an endocrinologist might be of use, but little else is worth your time.

Odds are you would have better luck in the so-called "alternative" medical world, but um good luck with that too, as my fellows in that field who deal with these things seem to run about 75-90% in the woo department.

I would say a good 2/3 of my clients suffer from some degree of brain fog. Usually people end up in the world of alternative medicine in my country because conventional medicine has failed to provide any relief or any answers.